


Of Ice and Family

by DarkJediQueen



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Hale Family, Alternate Universe, First Time, Hockey Player Stiles, M/M, No Hale Fire, Writer Derek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:06:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27973473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkJediQueen/pseuds/DarkJediQueen
Summary: Derek wasn't sure what to make of the man who was skating circles around him but there was just something about him.
Relationships: Stiles Stilinski/Derek Hale
Comments: 16
Kudos: 232
Collections: 12 Days of Sterek





	Of Ice and Family

**Author's Note:**

> **Year** : Future  
>  **Spoilers** : Everything  
>  **Notes** : None  
>  **Beta** : ScarsLikeVelvet

Derek hated his family. He hated them to the ends of the fucking earth and back. Yet, here he was, trying to teach himself to skate. The Beacon Hills rink was not that full during free skate right then. Which Derek was thankful for. There was only a family of four, the mother nearly as bad at skating as him and then a young man who Derek hated. Derek had no clue who the man was, but he was pissing off Derek so much. He watched as the young man made another loop around the ice, dodging around the two kids who were doing better on the ice than even Derek.

The young man was doing something, and Derek wasn't sure what it was. He wasn't just skating to skate. He was doing a routine of some kind. At first, Derek had thought that it was something to do with figure skating, but there wasn't a symmetry to that. No, he was doing something else. Derek watched him until his ass started to get numb from the cold. He needed a break. He needed hot chocolate and to make sure that the young man was gone before he was back onto the ice.

Yet, the young man didn’t leave.

Derek gets onto the ice after the young man leaves it. Derek is sore in places that he has no business being sore, especially for a Werewolf, but then again, this wasn't something that Derek had ever done before. He wasn't meant to be on the ice, but no, the family was going up north for the Christmas holiday, and that meant that everyone needed to be able to do what they were doing. The resort they were going to was offering up many activities, and ice skating was at the top of it. On a lake that was frozen. The place was open to all kinds of people, and it was also touted as a place where Werewolves could be Werewolves, which was why his parents were going up there. They had rented out a huge lodge on the land for them to all stay in. Thankfully, there was enough room that Derek, Tatiana, and Tristan would have their own room. Another person was renting a close cabin, but the Hales had been told that he was in the know and wouldn't bother them. Derek just hoped that they were well and gone from the areas where the family was going to hanging when they were outside.

"You look like a deer," the young man said as he leaned over the wall and looked at Derek, where he was flat on his back after falling, again.

"Go away," Derek said.

"I could help you," the young man said.

"No."

"Well, aren't you just a ray of sunshine? Fine. I'll go over here and sit and watch you." The young man pushed off the wall and walked over to where a backpack was full of stuff. He pulled out food and just watched Derek.

Derek could feel his eyes on him. He tried to do better under man's watchful eye, but nothing came of it. He just kept on falling, thirty-four times by the last count that he had. He got up when his alarm went off over where his stuff was, and he headed out to pick up the kids from school. He looked at the man one last time and huffed before he left. The young man was on the ice again, doing whatever the hell he was doing that was just showing off.

* * *

Another free day meant that he was heading to the ice rink again, only this time the kids were home, which meant they were going with him. He really didn't want to keep on falling on his face in front of Tatiana and Tristan, but he had limited time where he could actually try and learn. He looked at the twins in the rearview mirror and smiled as they were chatting about something to do with hockey. Derek hated his uncle for getting them into the sport, but there were times like right now that it helped. He looked at Tatiana, who had Paige's eyes.

Derek and Paige weren't in love, they had been good friends in high school, but neither of them had loved each other that way. Yet, when Paige wanted kids, Derek had gladly stepped up. They had gotten married, and for two years, they had been fucking happy. Then the world had ended, only it had spun on. Paige had died in a car accident on her way home from teaching. She had been only teaching for a year since she had taken time off after college to get the kids out and have a year with them. Derek had more than enough money to give her that, and then he worked from home, for the most part, so he had been able to take care of the babies while she worked. It had worked for them. Until it hadn't.

It had taken Derek over a year to get back to his job, though thankfully, his agent and publishing house he was contracted with understood. Most of his fans didn't mind at all. Some thought that they were entitled to his words just because they bought his books. Those fans, Derek hoped he pissed off enough they never touched his books again.

Derek didn't write under his real name. He had a pseudonym that he used to make sure that no one knew it was him. He talked about having kids, but never how many. He talked about having a partner, never their gender or the status of their relationship. It was the easiest way to stay hidden, not only from readers who didn't understand that he was a writer and not someone they made him up to be in their mind, but also Hunters.

While the Hale family was long over their issues with the Argent family and them trying to kill them, Derek never wanted to bring them to his door again. It had taken years of therapy and years of Paige telling him that it wasn't his fault that Kate had targeted him, but in the end, Derek had still nearly lost his family. It was only the newly-elected Sheriff who had seen Derek out with a woman much older than him, and when he had caught him with barely any clothes on in the Preserve at night after following them, he had gotten Kate thrown into jail. The plans for the fire and her cohorts had been easy to find after that. The illegal guns that she had as well as the poisons that the humans found funny, had made it easy to convict her. It had been even easier when more horrible deeds had been found by her father when looking into her.

Paige had been right there with him, even after she had pushed him away for revealing that he was a Werewolf and asking her if she wanted the bite. Even now, Derek wished he had been able to talk her into it. After the dust had settled from the Argent debacle, Paige had become his best friend.

"Daddy, where are we going?" Tatiana asked.

"The ice rink. I really need to get better at skating."

"Grandma says that you are horrible at it, and you need to stop looking at the young man who practices while you are there," Tristan said.

"Your grandmother is a pain in my behind," Derek said.

The twins laughed, and Derek was glad of it. They were now out of school until halfway through January. The perk of having money meant a good school, and when the kids were as bright as these two were, that meant the best school. Even if it was year-round. The kids were okay with year-round as it meant that they got longer breaks more times, and it meant that summer was just summer. Derek always planned some kind of trip for them each break, and he was glad of it as they were more than willing to go and learn anything.

"I'm gonna tell Grandma you said that," Tristan said.

"Go ahead, I've told that to her face."

Tatiana was the first to laugh, and Derek was glad of it. They had only been two when Paige died, so their memories of her were feelings more than anything else. Tatiana remembered being sick and knowing that she was there. Unfortunately, when young, even Werewolf children could catch simple childhood illnesses like stomach bugs. They ran quick but strong. Tatiana had thrown up for three hours straight while Derek freaked out, and Paige just stayed with her.

"Do you guys want to skate as well?"

"Yes, please," Tatiana said.

Tristan just nodded his head.

The rink looked empty except for that stupid Jeep that looked like it belonged in a junkyard instead of running. Derek had no clue which staff member drove it, but it was horrible. Derek was shocked; it even ran, but it moved from spot to spot each day that Derek was there.

Tristan got out as soon as Derek had the SUV parked and shut off. He was around the thing and into the back hatch with both his and his sister's gear bags in his hands. Tatiana grabbed Derek's. Which was a good thing as he was stuck looking at the Jeep. He knew that for someone to have a car that looked like that, there was probably no better option for them. He hated that it was his first, though, how disgusting the Jeep was. He wasn't an elitist, but sometimes his first thoughts were not the best. Paige said that as long as he didn't say the words he thought, he was fine.

"And who do we have here?" A voice asked.

Derek cringed as it was the young man. He sped up, heading inside, and he found that the young man was sitting on the bleachers near the door with what looked like a heating pad plugged into an outlet, and it draped over his legs. He looked sweaty like he had just finished up whatever he was doing for the day.

"Oh, I should have known with scowls like that they were related to you," the young man said with a grin on his face.

"DO they know you are stealing electricity?" Derek asked.

The young man's eyes widened.

"Does who know? The owner? Yes, they are well aware. I'm doing some rehabilitation on my leg, and I'm allowed to use the heating pad between turns on the ice. Would you like to see the text about it?"

"No." Derek pushed his kids forward, and he heard the snort that the young man made.

"Daddy, why were you mean to him?" Tatiana asked.

"I don't know, sweetie." Derek really didn't have an answer other than he was jealous of how well the guy did on the ice. It was his ego more than anything. He really had no other reason. '

The kids were on the ice as soon as their skates were laced up. Derek's parents had never brought any of him or his siblings here, and it was the main reason why Derek thought that he couldn't skate. He hadn't grown up doing it. Peter brought them here weekly and had since they were still reeling from the death of Paige. Watching two-year-olds on the ice hadn't been something that Derek wanted to do, so he hadn't gone with them. Though, Peter never wanted him to anyway. Peter wanted Derek to have that time to grieve in a way that the kids didn't need to see.

Peter had never told Derek where he learned to ice skate. He always dodged the question.

Derek fell another thirty or so odd times as the kids went around and around, doing a few moves that Derek knew were from figure skating while Derek was the worst skater on the ice. The young man joined them at some point; Derek wasn't sure when but right about then, Derek learned how to not fall on his ass that much. Derek really didn't care about the young man being worried about hurting himself. Most people would be black and blue just from a little of what Derek went through, but he would be fine in a few hours. Once, he stopped repeatedly falling on his hips and ass.

The young man chuckled, and Derek could hear it. He looked to see that he was heating his leg again while also eating. He watched Derek's kids on the ice, his eyes more like a coach watching their players than a man who watched kids for some kind of perverse enjoyment. He also watched Derek with an eye that spoke of the same thing. Derek wasn't sure what kind of rehabilitation had someone ice skating, but Derek wasn't going to invade his life to find out. He was curious, not that nosy.

"Dad, I'm hungry," Tristan said as he skated over.

The concession stand was closed since there wasn't a game or practice going on, and it really wasn't peak hours for the free skate. He had seen it open a few times when he had been there.

"Then let's go and get dinner," Derek said after looking at his watch and seeing that more time had passed than he thought.

"Have fun!" The young many yelled as Derek got the kids out of there. It didn't take long for them to get their skates off, and Derek moved like an old man. He really was pissed about having to go beside the man as he left.

The Jeep was still outside, but all of the other cars had swapped out in the staff area. Derek wondered if that meant that the Jeep was the young man's. It made sense at least a little, considering it seemed that the man was dealing with some kind of injury.

"Daddy, can the man come with us?" Tristan asked

"Why?" Derek asked.

"He looked like he was assessing us, like when that one coach wanted Tris and me on the hockey team for the area. You said maybe. He reminds me of that guy."

"And you want to see what he thinks of how you skate?" Derek asked. He looked up to see the staff area door open, and the young man started to head out. He had a cane in one hand, and his bag slung over the other. He went right to the Jeep and tossed his stuff in. He stopped and rubbed at his leg a little like it was hurting him. Which given that he was using a cane, he could understand.

"Daddy, can he?"

"Sweetie, he needs to get home and take care of his leg. He probably has a bit of therapy in the bathtub like Uncle Peter's husband does remember?" Derek knew that the kids didn't fully understand things that humans needed to do, but at least they had someone who was human in the family, well two, even if Peter's second husband never came around that much. Derek was still trying to work on that for Peter's sake if nothing else.

"Which one?"

"Chris," Derek said.

"Oh," they both said at the same time. It was the first time that Tatiana had talked during all of that. He wondered just what she thought of most of this. If she really wanted the strange man to come with them or not. She probably wouldn't say anything against her brother. She was a good supporter of stupid ideas, as she put it.

"Why doesn't Chris like us?" Tatiana asked.

"He likes everyone, sweetie, there is just...a lot of history between all of us, and he's never comfortable being a reminder."

Chris Argent had swept into their lives in the aftermath of everything that had happened with Kate. He had been there to make restitution and have a good influence for his daughter on what Hunters should be going after. Allison had done pretty well in the area, and she was watched by Peter a good bit when Chris had to leave town for work. Argent Arms International had survived the Argent family's fall from grace but just barely. It had been Chris who had revamped it. They did only sell and make weapons for cops and the like anymore. There was still the trade for weapons against the Supernatural but only to cops. Chris was also the ambassador in teaching cops and various other law enforcement about how to safely take Supernaturals in and put them through the justice system that at least did better than Hunter justice. It was just one step in the trudge on to revealing the Supernatural to the world.

Peter's love for Chris had come as a shock. That was when Derek found out about their illicit affair while they had been in high school together. Because the Argents had been in the area when Chris was a teenager, leaving just before his senior years started. Derek had heard Peter's stories about the one that had gotten away from when he had been younger, but Derek hadn't realized that Chris was that man. When Chris had come back to town, Peter had wooed him with a single-mindedness that had been a little scary to teenage Derek, but Chris had been sucked in but still stayed on the edges. Then the Sheriff had entered the picture, still mourning the loss of his wife and trying to raise a son all alone while working as the Sheriff for Beacon County.

Derek still wasn't sure how it had happened, but Peter and Chris had ended up being the Sheriff's son's babysitters. Allison and the boy had gotten along well, but still, Chris was on the edges. Derek remembered Allison bringing her friend over a few times before he had stopped coming around at all. Then Cora had caught the Sheriff, Peter, and Chris in bed together. Peter had ended up moving into the Sheriff's house, and Chris followed not long after. Four humans and a werewolf in one house. Peter had his own little Pack that he didn't bring around much. Derek knew that it wasn't Peter that didn't want them around, but Derek's mother and the Sheriff had got into a hell of a fight a few years back about Talia not telling him about what was going on in his county. Talia had been the Alpha she always was and told him that it was her land, not his. Now, there was a string of parking and driving violations a mile long for all Hales, outside of Derek. Derek wasn't sure why he had been exempt from that. He still wasn't sure, but he wasn't going to fight that.

"Daddy, hungry," Tatiana said.

"Sorry, pumpkin. I got lost in my head."

"Burgers," Tristan said.

"Yeah, and ice cream for after if we eat all of our food," Tatiana said.

"Sure." Derek knew exactly where they wanted to go. He grinned as it might just mean that he could catch Peter there with the Sheriff, and maybe Chris. They were not coming to the big winter thing, staying back since the Sheriff couldn't get off of work since it was a spur of the moment event, and he refused to cancel other Deputies' time off so he could have it. The Sheriff's son was supposed to be back in town as well. Derek could never remember his name. He had like four of them, and Derek had never even attempted to remember the one that only Peter and the Sheriff could say and not make the kid roll his eyes at how it was butchered. Derek was more than willing to try to learn it, but he hadn't seen the kid in over a decade, so it wasn't something that he wanted to actually put the time in when he was pretty sure that he wasn't ever going to see him.

Derek's life was his kids, and he wasn't ashamed of that. He would rather be with them than to spread himself thin trying to keep up with the massive Hale family.

* * *

The snow was all around, and Derek laughed as he looked at Tristan trying to walk in snow that was as deep as his hips. Some paths had been cleared by vehicles before they had gotten there, but the areas around were still covered in what looked like at least three feet of snow in some places. It was a winter wonderland. Derek wasn't sure that the kids were going to want to leave.

"Derek," Talia called out.

Derek looked up at his mother. Derek was the last to arrive, coming on his own with the kids. He hadn't wanted to do the caravan like his parents did. It took a lot longer, and while it was good for many of them, the kids were much better on a nearly straight through. He knew his kids well. Derek was more than happy with the time that they made. They were three hours early as lunch was eaten on the go, and the kids didn't have to stop to use the bathroom every fifty miles. Eight-year-olds were better for trips, it seemed.

"Mom, we will be in once they have had fun," Derek said.

The light was fading, but they were all Werewolves; they could see even without the light from the bright moon above.

"That's fine. We saved some dinner for you," Talia said.

"We ate about an hour ago. The only thing we need is a before bed snack and hot cocoa," Derek said.

"YAY!" Tristan yelled before it was cut off when his sister shoved him down into the snow.

The twins were no strangers to snow. Derek took them up north a few times for their winter trip, just never this far north. They had never seen this much snow.

"The bounds that we have along with our closest cabin friends is the yellow tagged trees. We got further than that, and we are where the regular guests are allowed."

"Thanks," Derek said. He reached over and pulled Tristan up out of the snow.

"Aw, I wanted to make a Werewolf popsicle," Tatiana said.

"Come here, you," Tristan yelled, and he took off at his sister. Tatiana screamed and ran as fast as she could without shifting. It would be chaotic for the next hour as they wound down from being in the car all day, but it was worth it to listen to them screaming and yelling and just having fun.

The sound of a dog barking had Derek's head-turning to where the other cabin was. The Hales had been assured that the occupants knew of the Supernatural and wouldn't bother them but that they took the cabin several times a year and their money meant a little more than the Hales. Derek still wasn't sure what he thought of that, but he would be happy as long as they stayed away.

Tristan was the first to give up on chasing his sister, dropping down to the ground to make snow angels, with fangs, on the nearly hard-packed snow. Thankfully, he had enough force that he could do it and then add the fangs afterward.

"I want cocoa," Tatiana said as she looked at her brother's snow angel.

"Then let's head inside and talk grandma into making you guys some. I bet we have the peppermint sticks to stir it up with."

"Yum," Tatiana said.

The inside of the lodge was chaos. Tatiana and Tristan weren't the only kids, just the oldest. Laura had her three under five, and even Cora had a little toddler. Spencer was still firmly in the camp of no kids before thirty. If he had kids. The only kid that was missing was Allison's little Jacob. Derek still didn't find his name funny at all. Though, to be honest, when Allison had brought him home after having him when her boyfriend up and ran after getting her pregnant, they hadn't known that he was a Werewolf. The condom breaking since Allison had been on antibiotics had been the end of that. Derek had heard all about it. Peter had wanted to hunt the man down, but Peter's two husbands had rallied around him and kept him there and helping Allison. Peter's job was done out of the house, money manager for the Pack, and playing the stocks in a way that made doing any other job for him obsolete. He had helped Allison through all the months of her pregnancy and then long after as he helped raise the kid as well. Allison had bought the house next door to the Sheriff so that she didn't have to be far. She worked from home on for Chris with the business and was more than happy about doing that. It allowed her to be there with Jacob as he grew up. Allison brought Jacob over a lot as he learned how to control himself.

"How was the drive?" Gregory asked as he sat down beside Derek in front of the fire. He handed over a cup of hot cocoa. The smell told him that it was the bittersweet chocolate with barely any sugar. He liked it better than the sweet chocolate that everyone else drank.

"Good. They were really good the whole way, but then the Kindles that they got for their birthday were a big hit on that front. Tristan read nearly the whole time while Tatiana read about three-fourths, and the rest was looking out at the windows at the way the landscape changed as we drove north and left California."

"Good. I told Talia that the Kindles were going to be a big hit."

"Yes, and it's easy for anyone in the family to reload their account as well."

Derek's two kids were much like Derek and Paige in that they loved to read. If they didn't have a book near them, it was because they were doing something and didn't want to hurt the precious books. The Kindles had been a lifesaver when it came to that. Summers by the pool meant while they relaxed after eating lunch and before going out to swim again, they were reading with their Kindles in Ziploc bags so that they didn't get wet. It was the best of both worlds for them.

"The cabin neighbors have a dog. So far, it's stayed hell and gone from us, but I wanted to warn you."

"I heard it."

"Yes, well, it's a Great Dane. I've only seen it and not any of the people who are staying there. According to what we were told when we checked in, it's five adults and a child, plus a dog, according to what we were told. I assume it's a family unit of some kind. Grandparents, their kid with their spouse, and their kid. Plus some other version of a family member. I can't be sure, though."

"Well, tomorrow starts with ice skating at the crack of dawn, so I seriously doubt that we will see them until afternoon."

"This is very true. How are you doing?" Gregory asked.

"I miss her, but I do every year at this time. But it's better than it has been in years," Derek said honestly. He missed Paige like he missed a limb if he lost it. He wasn't above telling his father that either. He was more than happy with the way that life was, despite everything."

"Well, with a dawn wakeup, we are heading to bed soon. Your mother and her idea of seeing the sun come up over the trees and hit the lake is crazy, but then again, she's done crazier."

Derek laughed and nodded his head, looking at his cocoa before taking a sip of it. It was the perfect temperature now. He would heal from burning his tongue, but he saw no reason to do it. The twins were running ragged now that they had settled down some. They were nearly nodding off into their cocoa; only Laura and Cora near them saved their cups when they almost dropped them. Derek shuffled them up into their rooms and got them into the bath and out again. They were asleep before their heads hit the pillows.

* * *

Derek had slipped out of the house with his skates over his shoulder and the direction the large lake was in his head. He wanted to get warmed up and get his skating legs on him before the rest of the family joined him. The sun wasn't even a thought as he made his way through the trees. There was only the light of the moon on the snow and the path that was taking him toward where the lake was. He found it but stopped when he heard the sound of metal on ice. He counted off in his head who had been at the house. No one was unaccounted for. So he assumed it was someone who wasn't supposed to be there or someone from the other cabin.

The trees thinned, and Derek stopped when he saw a figure on the ice. They were thin, despite the layers they were wearing. There were magic balls of light that were giving off a faint but not strong glow, not with the moon shining its last as the sun just started to be visible over the horizon. Derek watched the person as they moved on the ice like they were born on it. There was a set of hockey nets on either side of one section, and on a pass, the person grabbed a stick from the top of one of the nets and moved like he had a purpose to the other side. Derek saw the little black thing he picked up and assumed it was a puck. The puck was dropped onto the ice. Derek assumed it was a guy from how they moved and the little bit of scruff that he saw on his face when he was facing Derek as he moved.

The puck moved around on the ice like he was born to that. One another passed by, Derek realized that the man wasn't wearing a coat but a Vegas Golden Knights jersey. The name on the back was Mischief, so it had to be a custom as Derek was well aware that no one on that team had that as a last name. The twins were obsessed with that team; Derek could thank Peter for that. They loved the pageantry, and Peter just loved the showmanship that they put into everything, especially the inaugural Stanley Cup Playoffs story that they spun. Peter loved a good show.

Derek watched as the man skated like he was giving it his all. Derek wondered if he played at a local level wherever he lived. It wasn't hard to see that he was a player, not with how he snapped the puck into the net when he passed. Just as the sun started to make its break above the trees, Derek heard his family behind him. He turned and held his finger to his lips, and Talia turned around and told them all to be quiet. No one made a sound, but still, the man turned to them, the sun behind him, shadowing his face.

"Good morning, Hales!" the man yelled, and he waved.

"Daddy, it's the man," Tristan said, and he took off on the ice with just his shoes on. The young man from the rink back home laughed as Tristan face planted and slid the rest of the way to him.

"Son?" Talia asked.

"He's a guy from the rink back home. He's a great skater. I guess I'm a little shocked to see him here."

The rest of the family got onto the edges of the lake and sat down on the benches to get their skates on while the young man escorted Tristan back to Derek.

"I've greeted the day on the ice. I'll leave the nets up. There are a few sticks and pucks, kid-size included, so have fun; just leave them on the nets when you are done. There are only give pucks, so try not to yeet them into the wild white yonder."

"Who are you?" Derek asked.

"Didn't you see the name?" the young man turned to show the back of the jersey.

"Mischief is not a name," Derek said.

"Ah, but it's the only name you are going to get." The young man grinned and then moved over to settle in beside Derek's father as he stripped off his skates and pulled a pair of thick boots from under the bench. He got them on quick and then looked around before he snapped his fingers, and the lights that had been hovering around disappeared, but the sun was showing enough that there was no extra light needed.

"You have a crush," Laura said from behind Derek.

"I do not. He's been showing me up as I tried to learn how to skate."

"Sweetie, it's not showing you up if he skates like that and is just exercising," Talia said.

Derek really wanted to flip off his mother, but he would hold off on that. He really didn't need his Alpha showing him up either.

"I was warned that sometimes the lake was used by some other people since it's in the bounds of all of the guests of the resort," Talia said.

"Ah," Derek said. He really had no clue why she was telling him that. He just got ready to make a fool of himself since he hadn't been able to warm up like he wanted.

Derek only hit the ice four times before he finally got his legs to work the way he wanted them to. The only good thing was that Peter wasn't there to mock him. He was still going to be sore as hell after the falls that he had, but the way that his kids laughed and played with the rest of them was worth it. They spent too many hours on the ice before heading back for a late breakfast.

* * *

"Oh lord, please give me strength," Derek said as he took in the scene of the Great Dane, who was sitting in front of the fire, with what looked like a plate of carrots in front of him. Tristan was petting him, talking about how they would get him back to Santa.

"Well, this looks like a good story," Gregory said as he stepped up behind Derek.

"Where is Cora?" Derek asked. He had left the Twins with her while he and his father had gone into town to pick up a few things. The rest of the family was out skiing, and Derek hadn't felt like it.

"Trying to figure out who the dog belongs to," Cora said from the kitchen. "None of the staff have anyone bringing a dog with them. So I don't know who to call, and they are being assholes and not reporting it since it's on their land."

"Language," Gregory chided his youngest daughter.

"Daddy, reindeer!" Tatiana said.

"Dad, I think that the language is well needed. Honey, that's not a reindeer; that's a dog."

"No way," Tristan said as he looked at the Great Dane. "Too big."

"At least it's not a St. Bernard; they would probably call it a woolly mammoth. I'll see about getting a hold of our neighbors," Gregory said.

"No need," a voice said from behind Derek.

Derek turned and frowned but then realized that the person had said it from the other side of the door. Derek opened it, and there was Mischief, with a grin on his face.

"I understand you have a wayward dog?"

"How did you know?"

"Tracking spell. My dads' let him out and then got distracted by making out in front of the fire. So I started to hunt him down. He rarely goes this far. I understand with the kids, though."

"You are the one in the cabin?" Derek asked.

"Uh, yeah...did....oh that asshole."

"Language," Gregory said as he came back into the living room area.

Mischief stepped inside and looked at him before shutting the door.

"Peter trolled your butts," Mischief said.

"What?" Gregory asked.

"You don't….Okay, I thought it was just Derek, but no, it's the whole damned family."

"Language," Tristan said.

The dog woofed from where he was but seemed uninterested in getting up and going to his owner. Derek wouldn't want to leave the place in front of the fire either.

"No wonder Peter kept on laughing his butt off. Of course, all of my Dads are rather into that kind of thing. Anyway, I hope you have enough room for four humans and two werewolves for dinner as Peter said we were eating with the rest of the family tonight, but now I think he was just going to have us all show up."

"Peter...as in Uncle Peter?" Cora asked.

"Yes. As in Peter, Chris, Noah, Allison, Jacob, and I."

"Stiles?" Cora asked.

Derek was sure that he had heard the name Stiles before. He just wasn't sure where. It was nagging at the back of his mind.

"And we have a winner."

"You should be on the road," Cora said.

"I was injured at the start of the season. Surgery and then rehabilitation, I will be back with the team in January."

"You looked very different without all of the pads on," Cora said.

Derek knew exactly who he was now. He had never connected the player with the name of Stilinski from the Golden Knights with this man because he looked different out of the jersey and pads but also without being covered in sweat. His hair in his pictures was buzzed off, but this was something fluffy on his head. He looked at the twins, who were still all about the dog, which was good, which meant that they hadn't realized that their favorite hockey player in the world was in the room with them. And technically, family.

"You are going with that?" Stiles asked.

"What?" Cora asked.

"Wow, short stack, you really do wound me."

Cora huffed and turned to leave. Derek wasn't sure what the hell was going on there, but he wasn't going to ask. It wasn't his place to ask, and hell, if he was going to piss off his sister while he still had a week and a half of being here.

"JACOB!" Allison yelled, and then there was the door opening, and a toddler came running in, going right for the dog.

"Looks like Peter's going to get in a lot of trouble. He was supposed to be in the cabin as well. Allison was helping me look since the spell only does so well."

"Chewie!" Jacob said.

"Chewie?" Derek asked.

"Yeah, Chewbacca. It was that or Lowbacca, but I went with the elder. The next dog I get could be Lowbacca. Besides, he's got the size down."

Derek really wasn't sure what was going on.

"Wait...Chewie?" Tristan asked.

"Yes," Stiles said.

Tatiana looked from Stiles to the dog to Stiles again before she screamed and rushed at him. Allison was there catching the two of them as Stiles nearly went backward.

"STILES!" Tatiana screamed.

"Yes, that's me," Stiles said with a grin on his lips.

A second later, Tristan was there, and surprisingly enough, either of them was touching his leg.

"That was you this morning."

"Yes, I'm working on conditioning to get back onto the ice."

"We've missed you this season. It's the same without you on the ice."

"Ah, I see you have two little fans here. Well, that makes this kind of special."

Derek was trying to wrap his mind around everything.

"What is going on here?" Talia asked as she came into the lodge. The door was still open, and the rest of the family was just behind.

"We found a reindeer, only it wasn't a reindeer, it was just Stiles' dog, Chewbacca. Then Stiles came to get him, and now he's staying for dinner."

"Sweetie, you can't just keep him," Talia said.

"Oh, no, the dinner part is very true. Right Ally?" Stiles asked.

Talia looked over at where Allison and Jacob were in front of the fire. She looked confused about what she was doing there. Talia looked at Gregory. "Dear?"

"Peter's being a troll. The other family in the cabin? Peter, his husbands, and their two kids."

Talia looked at Stiles and tried to figure out who he was.

"Oh my God, do none of the Hales remember who I am?" Stiles asked.

"Well, you are the one that stopped coming around," Derek said

Stiles looked at Derek with a shocked look on his face. "Actually, I was asked by Alpha Hale to not come around anymore. My magic was reacting with the wards on the house. I got that under control, but I just stayed away."

"I was asking Peter to get you into classes," Talia said.

"Yeah, well, I was asked to not come around, and the rest of my family was allowed. So I just stayed the hell away."

Derek understood why Allison stopped coming around as well. He hadn't known that Stiles was asked to not come around. He felt a little bad about thinking that Stiles had just hated them. He remembered their wards were ramped up by Deaton after the Argent and the fire planning had shown them a few weaknesses. Yet, he had never thought that things would be like that. Derek watched as his mother's face did a few complicated movements before she settled on shame.

"I'm sorry that it made you feel like you weren't wanted. It was reacting badly with you, and you were too hyper."

"Alpha Hale, I have ADHD. I wasn't hyper because of the wards. I was hyper because we tried to adjust my meds and not have them react with my magic. I need to get Chewie back and get him his food. Ready to go, Ally?"

"Yeah, we will be back, but Peter's going to be put out that his trolling is ruined."

"Eh, I'll take care of our scents. His family can troll him right back," Stiles said. He looked at Derek, and there was something there in his eyes.

Derek wasn't sure what that look was. Almost like a disappointment, but he wasn't sure. Derek didn't know what to do about that.

"Daddy, you know Stiles?" Tristan asked when the trio of people and dog were gone.

"Yeah, I met him a few times when he was younger."

"I think that tonight I'll be taking a walk and talking with Peter about a few things. I guess I wasn't as open as I should have been about what I wanted with Stiles. I wasn't aware that the whole family just kind of stopped coming around because of it."

"We were still in the hyper mode about threats," Gregory said.

"Still, I need to correct my mistake."

Derek wasn't sure what dinner would bring, but it was going to something that no one forgot.

* * *

The sound of seven heartbeats getting closer had Derek heading to the door. He wasn't shocked that Chewie was coming with them. It would stop the twins from asking, at least. Peter was the closest one; he narrowed his eyes when Derek just smirked at him. Peter turned back and looked at Stiles and Allison, who was bringing up the rear. Jacob was in Chris' arms while Chewie's leash was in the Sheriff's hand.

"Don't even. You are the one that let Chewie run wild, and he ended up being kidnapped by twin Hale terrors and mistaken for a reindeer," Stiles said.

"I didn't smell that."

"Yeah, no, we trolled your ass back with that. My magic might be small and shit, but I can do a lot with it. So you get to deal with your not surprise being found out." Stiles stuck his tongue out at Peter, who growled at the man. Stiles didn't look scared at all. Though he called Peter Dad, so he was probably used to it.

"Derek, thank you for welcoming us, even if we were not actually invited."

"It's fine. Now the whole family is together," Derek said.

Stiles snorted at that. He shook his head as he passed by Derek, who was holding the door open. He had his cane in his hand again. Using it on the wooden deck.

"Stiles, we have a spot over here by the fire for you," Gregory said as the man entered the lodge.

Derek looked to see that the ottoman was pushed up close to the one chair and where Laura had been sitting before she was no longer.

"Good. He spent too much time on the ice today," the Sheriff said with a glare at his son.

"I told you that I have to get used to it again. I did nothing that the team doctor and therapist said I couldn't."

"You were out there alone. If you had fallen."

"Derek was there," Stiles said.

Derek didn't look at him even though he wanted to. He had been there, and he had every single morning. He hadn't gone onto the ice like he wanted to, but he had watched. He had been watching Stiles on the ice every single morning since that first. There was something about how he was on the ice that made Derek jealous, and it was also beautiful. He loved watching him. It was ethereal.

"What?" Peter asked as he looked at Derek with a raised eyebrow.

"He's been there every single morning since the Hale clan invaded."

"Really?" Talia asked.

Derek could see right then how much Talia and Peter were alike, siblings when very little else showed that they were. There was a lot between them that was alike in their facial expressions.

"Really, nephew?"

"I didn't know..." Derek stopped when Stiles started to laugh.

"You didn't know what?" Chris asked.

"He didn't know that it was me. I'm sure now he regrets that he was watching me when it was just little old Stiles."

Derek nearly said something, but how Peter, Chris, and the Sheriff reacted to what Stiles said, Derek figured that it was best not to touch on what had been said.

"Well, dinner is ready," Gregory said as a way to hopefully diffuse a situation that seemed to have turned into a landmine.

Stiles went right for the table, choosing a seat with no one on the side where his injured leg was. Derek was glad that no one said a thing about seating arguments with that. Allison sat down on his other side with the twins taking the spots across the table. The Sheriff sat down beside Stiles on that side, taking the end of the table. Chris kept Jacob with him and sat down beside the twins. Derek wasn't sure what they normally ate like. He realized that he had never seen the family that Peter had made for himself eat at a more formal dinner like this. It had been backyard cookouts with people sitting in chairs where they could find the room and on the ground when they couldn't. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. There was a lot that needed to be unpacked from the way that the family was. What had been something that was just normal was no longer. 

"I thought that you couldn't get away from work?" Talia asked. 

"Once the guys found out about the family getaway, they all moved around. I don't take many vacations. They spread things to make sure that everything was covered. I talked Stiles into coming, and since he came, Allison and Jacob were as well. I rarely get time with Stiles during the holidays that aren't me heading to see him if he's on this coast." 

The conversation flowed from there, but Stiles only talked to Chris and Peter, and the twins when they asked him questions. When general questions came from the others, Stiles never piped up. It seemed like it was odd for him to do something like that from what Derek remembered of him from when he was younger. 

"Daddy, how come you didn't recognize Mister Stiles?" Tristan asked during dessert.

"You didn't either."

"No, I mean, as Uncle Peter's kid."

"I haven't seen him in a long time, Tristan. He's changed a lot since then."

"Oh." 

Derek was pretty sure that the look he was getting was one that Paige wore a lot when Derek did something that she didn't like. Derek didn't look, though. He really didn't need to see that look on his face. 

Dinner went smoothly after that, with Stiles offering to take Jacob back to the cabin when he started to get sleepy. Talia tried to get him to put him down in the room where the other small children were sleeping, but Allison vetoed that. Derek was kind of sad to see him go because once he got a little alcohol in him, he was actually pretty easy to talk to. He still had a bit of sharp wit and the same kind of way of making sure that everyone knew that he thought they were stupid without saying it. He was like a mini-Peter in that regard. Derek could see Peter's hand in raising him with that. 

"Well, let's take care of the elephant in the room," Allison said.

"What elephant?" Peter asked. 

"The one that you three don't know is in the room. How Alpha Hale didn't mean that she didn't want Stiles around ever again, just once his magic was under control because she thought that his out of control magic was why he was hyper." 

"Talia?" Peter asked.

"Yes, that came to light earlier today when Stiles made the comment that none of us recognized him. Derek said that he was the one that stopped coming around. When I said that he needed to get his magic under control, I wasn't aware of the rest of the issues going on and that you and he thought that we didn't want him around."

"He didn't have a lot of free time anyway, with playing hockey and school work. He graduated high school early and went to college, getting his four-year degree before he turned twenty and then got drafted into the NHL, went to the AHL teams for a while, but he was happy with that."

Derek looked at the man trying to figure out if he was boasting just because he could. 

"Are you joking?" Cora asked.

"No. I am not. He knew what he wanted, and he went after it. He was more than willing to go through everything that he needed to get done what he wanted. I didn't push him, except to slow down," the Sheriff said. 

"How early did he get into college?" Gregory asked.

"Sixteen. He graduated just after he turned nineteen."

Derek listened as they all talked, airing things for a long while but what Derek got out of it was that Stiles was more of the 'you get one chance to make a good impression and then fucked if you do a bad one' type of person. Derek wasn't sure that anyone in the family other than the twins had a shot at winning Stiles back. 

* * *

The sun wasn't up at all, but still, Derek was trudging out with hot cocoa in a thermos as well as one full of coffee with just a little creamer in it. He listened for the sound of metal on ice as he got near the lake, but it wasn't there. He frowned as it was early but not that early. Stiles should be there on the ice, getting warmed up and then going through his skating to make sure he was ready for the ice when he was allowed back on the team after his injury.

Derek was about to turn around when he heard it. The tromp of someone through the snow. There was a fresh bit on the world they were currently living in but thankfully only about an inch.

Stiles was dressed the same as always, wearing his jersey that had Mischief on it. Derek knew that it was an official one of some kind, and he wasn't sure how Stiles had got that name on it instead of his last name. He laced up his skates, testing them before heading out onto the ice. He moved through slow warm-ups, sailing across the ice. Derek had assumed until Peter had talked about how Stiles was the one that got him into hockey that Peter had gotten Stiles into it. After finding out who Stiles was.

No, Stiles had been into hockey since he had been shoved onto the ice to help with his ADHD at seven. Peter had explained it all a few nights before when the whole issue had been aired. Still, Stiles hadn't been around at all. Even when invited to go skating with the rest of the family. Yet, he had been nice to Derek, trying to help Derek learn to skate when he had obviously known who Derek was.

Derek wasn't sure that he would ever understand Stiles, but he was willing to try. He would see if he was the branch that was needed to pull Stiles into the family. Which was why he was half stalking him. He had been coming out every morning and watching from the edges of the trees as Stiles skated. Today, when Stiles stopped after his warming up skating and his intense loops around the lake, Derek would offer hot cocoa or coffee, whichever one Stiles wanted.

Stiles slowed down a little later than he normally did, heading not to the bench where he normally sat down and worked on rubbing down his leg, but he stopped in front of Derek. "If you wanted to stay hidden, I wouldn't have brought metal things that would reflect."

"I wasn't trying to hide, just didn't want to bother you until you stopped," Derek said.

"Sweet of you. What do you have?" Stiles pointed at the two thermoses that were in the bag and visible. Derek also had his skates over his shoulder. He would see if Stiles was up to help him look a little better on the ice.

"Hot cocoa and coffee with a little cream."

"Offer to mix them, and I'll take you up on that."

"Sure." Derek pulled the strap off his body, coming out of the trees and sitting down on the bench. He held out the cup from one thermos, filled it with the coffee, and then did the same with the other cap. He toasted the drink toward Stiles, who was smiling. "So you knew who I was."

"Yes, Derek. I knew who you were. I just assumed you didn't want to have me help you, given what I did. Not that you had no clue who was and still didn't want me helping teach you to skate."

"Well, that's part of why I am here. I just...teaching myself has done nothing for me. I mean, I can move around on the ice, but that's about it."

"I see. So you are trying to butter me up."

"You seemed willing before, and I was hoping that was still open. Why did you, by the way?"

"It's mainly the adults, and you weren't one then, Laura was but barely, but still no one really offered me any olive branches. Peter talked about how big of a family he had, and I was intrigued. I mean, it was just Mom, Dad, and me before that. Then Mom was gone, Dad was working a lot. Peter was so damned excited to bring me there, thinking that I could have fun with people my age, or at least close with Cora and Spencer. Then it was kind of taken away for something that was literally out of my control. Only to find out it was another thing that was really out of my control. I wasn't the nicest kid in the world, especially once I found out that Spencer had ADHD. I wanted to get to know him, but I wasn't allowed because my magic pushed on the wards. It was a family, and I didn't get it."

"I'm sorry about that."

"Eh, it is what it is. Peter started to be the one to take me to hockey, and we talked about school and how bored I was in school. He convinced me to see about testing and going to a private school. I started skipping grades with it. I was always so bored, but then I wasn't. I was in high school, and there were a few kids there who took me in and treated me pretty well. I had a lot of fun there. One of the seniors would drive me to hockey since he had to take his little sibling. Peter would pick me up. As I got closer to my senior year of schooling, I didn't know it, but Peter got a few college scouts to come and watch. Full rides to places, between academics that I was doing well in, and hockey. One of Peter's friends was teaching college at the place I picked, so I lived with him and his partner. They didn't have kids but were more than happy to have me. I drove them nuts at first before they figured out to just let me be when I was slightly manic about things. That I didn't need an adult all that much. Peter didn't want me in the dorms, and the school was fine with that since I was underage. I worked on my magic on my own as I had been after learning what I needed. I'm much better at self-taught on that. It was NHL scouts and draft day, and I was barely nineteen years old and already working on getting a good contract. Money wasn't an issue, but I wanted to stay on the west coast, so I took the best offer that was on tap for that. Then the Golden Knights debuted, and I was so fucking in love. I became a free agent, and they snapped me up as fast as they could. It's a rough road, but it's one that I'm having fun with."

"Injury notwithstanding, right?" Derek asked.

"Yeah, that. So yeah, I had a few years where life sucked, but I got over it. It's not like I've been pining for the Hale family. We made our own little family, and I love it."

"Yet, you offered to help me learn to skate."

"Dude, watching you skate is like watching someone getting their ass handed to them when you know that you can help them. Of course, I offered to help teach you. You need it."

"Then teach me."

Derek saw the challenge in Stiles' eyes, and he nodded his head. He stood up and held out a hand to Derek, pulling him up with surprising strength. Derek was shocked as he wore layers, but he had seen many other hockey players at some points; there was muscle there. Stiles just hid his very well. It was interesting as Stiles got out on the ice and warmed his leg back up, leaving Derek standing on the side. Derek knew that Stiles needed to not injure himself again. It would be horrible.

"So you skate for fun?" Derek asked.

"Yeah, I love skating. Dad said that after they diagnosed me early with ADHD, it was the best thing to teach me. Mom wanted me to get into figure skating, but I liked the idea of hockey, even if the little leagues don't check and shit. Dad worried about me being gay and in the sport, but as the NHL came out more and more with being open, it wasn't hard to be open in the college. The team that drafted me knew full well what I was. The team members had a few bumps, but I promised them that I would no more look at them while getting undressed than I would my father. That crushes were all well and good, but the locker room wasn't the place for that kind of thing. It was easy after that. The Golden Knights are a lot more open with me, and well considering it's Vegas, I can understand. The PR team is just waiting for me to get a boyfriend and hoping they can use it for publicity."

"Using your sexuality for that is kind of horrible," Derek said. He looked at where Stiles was holding his hands out, covered in the gloves that he used. Derek found that he wanted skin on skin but knew that with the sun not up and Stiles being human, that was impossible at the moment. He tried not to think about that too much.

"Eh, I can't be from a certain point of view, but the point of view that I like for it is that kids are watching this sport, and they are in homes where they are told that it's wrong. So instead of that, they see me out there, living my life and being who I am. That I got this far with being gay. That being gay is not bad. If it helps one kid who wants to play hockey but is scared because they are gay, or trans, or whatever they are, go forward and be what they are while doing what they love, I'll call it good. Though, of course, that's if my potential boyfriend doesn't mind being in the spotlight."

"Anyone who starts something with you and thinks that they could hide is deluding themselves," Derek said.

Stiles kept on talking, and he pulled Derek along with him, and then after a while, Derek got his legs fully under him. He listened to Stiles talking about things that the team had done together in the various cities that they were in. How much fun the playoffs were and how starstruck Stiles got when he met guys he had watched playing while growing up.

Derek looked to the side at Stiles, stopping. Stiles wasn't in front of him. Derek looked down and then back. There was side by side marks in the ice that Stiles' magic balls of light were showing off. Derek had been on his own for a while and hadn't fallen or even nearly fallen. He looked at Stiles, who was smirking at him.

"Yeah, that's pretty much what was needed. You were too afraid of falling, and it was making you not just get into the groove," Stiles said.

"Huh," Derek said. He lunged forward, letting his body make the decisions. He was getting a good speed up when the sun started to peek over the trees. The magic balls of light disappeared as the sun flared over the ice. "I can understand why you like this."

"I love mornings like this. I don't get this much, not outside. During the time when lakes are frozen, I'm on the road. Though we did go out once with the Wild and play when we had back to back games there with two days between. It was hilarious for the guys who had never skated on a lake before. I had a lot of fun with that, and when Peter talked about the lake here freezing and staying frozen, I was all for it. I didn't think that the Hales would all troop out here and take it over. Though they have been coming later since that first day."

Derek knew that his mother had been letting Stiles have time on the ice before the Hales descended.

"When do you go back?"

"The seventh I head to get cleared to start going with the team again and training with them. I don't see myself being denied it. I'm healing up pretty well, only a little magic helping with that."

"What happened?" Derek asked.

"OH, you didn't see the game?"

"The twins did with Peter, but I was working on a book for a deadline that had been dropped into my lap when another author backed out. So I was spending my days in my office. I heard that someone fell on you."

"Yeah, fractured the bone, not fully, but there were muscle and nerve damage as well. I was tripped, and then someone else tripped over me and knocked someone else down onto me without the ability to catch themselves like they normally could. It was a freak accident, but since it was the tripping of me that had caused such a big to-do, the guy got ejected from the game. He was only for that one which I get. He didn't know that this was going to happen when he did it."

"Still sucks."

"Injuries happen. I'm used to it. Here." Stiles turned around and lifted up his jersey and what looked like two other shirts under that. There was a wicked-looking scar that ran down his back. It wasn't big, but it was long. It was not jagged either. "When I was playing hockey in college. That guy got suspended for the rest of the season. He not only tripped me but when he came down, his skate did that. It was pretty shallow, but enough that I got a scar out of it. Allison took pictures after it had healed. I was only out for a few games while healed enough to move without splitting it open. I was pretty well off on that one. I have a few other scars, but at least I have all of my teeth so far."

Derek laughed and nodded his head. He heard his family heading to them.

"They are on their way."

"Yeah, after the first day, I set up perimeter alarms that tell me when anyone is getting close to me. I felt it the moment they tripped it. I've got a few before they get close."

"Stay," Derek asked.

"Derek," Stiles said.

"Stay for me. Play with the twins. You can ignore everyone but them and me. They won't bother you, I promise."

"Yeah, that's because I know that your family is all listening to this." Stiles sighed and looked toward where the Hales were coming from. "Sure. I can stay for a little while, but then I do have to go. And I will leave if my leg starts to ache. I know the point where I can't make it back to the cabin."

"Of course. Here come and rest for a few. I have more of each drink."

"Sure."

Derek nodded his head and smiled. They were still sitting on the bench when the Hales all arrived, with Allison, Peter, and Chris in tow.

"Jacob's with Noah," Allison said.

"Cool, I'll join them in a little while," Stiles said. He held out his hands, and Allison laughed as she helped him up. He wrapped his arms around her in a hug before spinning around, making her scream. The twins were right there, ready to head out onto the ice with Stiles. They each held a hand and let him tug them along. They were laughing and happy.

"You look like you have a crush," Peter said as he sat down beside Derek.

"I might," Derek said.

"Has he told you about work."

"The PR team and everything? Yes. I know what I would be getting into."

"You wouldn't be able to hide your writing anymore."

"No, I wouldn't. There would be people that would dig into that. I could come out before that. Finally, go to a book signing that's not online, and people lining up for that. Maybe at home. I'll talk to the kids."

"Your relationship with Paige would be news."

"Are you trying to talk me out of this?" Derek asked.

"No, I'm making sure that you not thinking things through is part of why everything ends, if it does. He's fragile in a way that you are not Derek. He wears his sarcasm and wit as a shield. He doesn't open up to anyone and listening to the two of you talk, I know that he's opening up to you."

"I didn't hear you," Derek said.

"Stiles' wards don't trip for me or anyone in our little Pack. He didn't even know that I was there either, and I've been around long enough to know how to even sneak up on you, Derek. So just think before you do anything that you can't come back from. Talk to the kids, your agent. Get out in front of everything as much as possible. The only way to not have people digging is to open up and get it all out there first. If there is nothing to find, they get bored. Even works for County Sheriffs."

Derek nodded his head and looked out where Stiles played with the twins and Chris, playing a mock hockey game.

"I think that they need two more and a ref. What do you say about being the ref?" Peter asked.

Derek wondered who would be the other, and then he saw Allison there.

"Sure." Derek got up, his legs a little wobbly, but he got them under him and skated over to join his kids. Tristan saw him first and screamed his happiness because Derek was skating without falling on his ass. Stiles was smirking, and Derek wondered what he would think if Derek just kissed him. He didn't, though. It wasn't the time or the place for that. Derek had a lot to do before he took that step.

* * *

There was something fun about watching everyone's mind being blown at Derek coming out of the closet, in several ways. The first book signing had been simple and easy at the local bookstore in Beacon Hills. His agent was over the moon, and the publishing company wanted him to do more. He agreed to ones in California and maybe a few states around that, but he wasn't leaving for a long time unless he was going there with the kids. He agreed to that as well. It wouldn't be that big of a thing for him to spend a few hours at a bookstore if he was there a few days with the kids.

"Daddy," Tristan said as he tugged on Derek's sleeve as he was trying to sign a book. Thankfully it wasn't the arm he was writing with.

"Yes?" Derek asked after he handed over the book with a smile. The next person stepped up but didn't start to gush.

"Look," Tatiana said, and she was pointing.

"Sweetie, it's not nice to point."

"But it's Stiles."

Derek raised an eyebrow at that. He moved over a little and looked, and it was indeed Stiles with what looked like about five other members of his team, as well as two members of the New York Rangers. Derek raised an eyebrow, but Stiles just grinned at him. Derek looked at the time. It looked like they were the last in line. Derek moved back over and looked at the woman in front of him as he finished what she wanted the words to say. He smiled and made small talk as he signed the book.

The line was going quickly now. Derek was thankful for that. The kids were happy to be in New York City for their spring break. He just hoped that things were going to be calm when they had to leave. Derek smiled at the first hockey player that came up. He was holding one of Derek's paranormal mysteries that had no relationship in it.

"And who do you want it made out to?" Derek asked.

The hockey players were either getting the books for themselves or for spouses. Stiles was last in the line.

"So you finally just decided to come out into the spotlight?" Stiles asked.

"My agent made a good case after someone nearly did a few illegal things to find out. They are in prison, though, since stalking is still illegal, even for public figures." Derek didn't say that it had been a year ago and that it had actually made Derek never want to come out, but so far, things had been good. Who should I make this out to?"

"OH, that's mine. Dad can get his own autograph. What has you guys in New York?"

"Museums," Tristan said.

"Really?"

"Yup and ice cream," Tatiana said next.

The hockey players all started to laugh at that.

"Well, those are two of the best things in the world, behind hockey. I'm shocked you aren't here for hockey."

Derek tried to get Stiles to stop talking about that. He had tried to get tickets, but they had been sold out outside of singles.

Stiles was grinning, though, so it looked like Derek was going to have to deal with the kids being upset at not getting to go.

"Well, it's a good thing that you know people, right? I just happen to have three glass seat tickets for the visiting side," Stiles said.

Derek raised his eyebrows at that.

"Peter said you were thinking about it a month and a half ago, and once the times were nailed down, I got them. A few favors here and there and things were done. So yeah?" Stiles asked.

"YES!" Tristan and Tatiana yelled at the same time, nearly taking away Derek's hearing.

"But we don't have anything with us," Tatiana said.

"Oh, you'll have plenty of stuff to make sure that everyone knows you are here for the Knights. Don't worry. Just head to guest services when you get there," Stiles said. He handed over three passes.

Derek saw that the passes got them a lot of stuff besides just seats. The kids were going to have a lot of fun with that.

"Thanks," Derek said.

"You are most welcome. I've got to get back but enjoy the rest of the day, and I'll see you on the ice tonight." Stiles was looking at Derek with a little heat behind his eyes. Derek nodded his head and tried to not let a blush creep up there.

The last two weeks of Stiles being back home had gone by quick, with Derek taking up a lot of his time, with the kids, of course. Then there was the whole heading back and Stiles getting Derek's phone and stealing the number so they could text. The texts had turned into something that Derek was enjoying. He rarely brought up the family unless Stiles asked first. The rejection for Stiles was going to take time to get over. The feelings of not being enough. Peter had helped Derek understand that a little more. Stiles felt like he was very much on the outside more often than not after his mother had died. Derek hated that his family had unknowingly made it worse, but Stiles had done well for himself.

"Daddy, can we have all of the food?" Tristan asked.

"Yes, we can split anything and everything that you guys are interested in."

"Yay!" Tatiana said as Tristan hugged him.

Hours later, Derek was regretting arriving to get in line before the doors opened. The kids were hyper as hell, and the gift package that Stiles had left for them was something that had just made them worse. It was jerseys in their sizes with Stilinski on the back as well as boggins and scarves. They were very kitted out for sitting glass side in the arena. Derek was sure that he would have trouble getting them out of the jerseys for the rest of their trip. There were even stuffed Chances for them to hug while they watched the game. Those were thankfully stored in the bag that the items had come in. It was an over the shoulder drawstring bag, so Derek was able to stick other things in there.

"Daddy, this is awesome," Tristan said as they watched the ice getting scraped before the team came out to warm up. There was still half an hour on that, so Derek was more than happy to walk around the arena and figure out all of the food they wanted to try. The passes came with a not too modest food card that had enough loaded to it to cover Derek figured they would all eat, and Derek wouldn't have to dip into his money for much. He balked a little at it, but he wasn't going to say no. He knew what kind of money Stiles made and that Peter made sure that it was all invested wisely so that when his hockey career was over, he wouldn't be poor.

"It really is."

"How long until warm-ups?" Tristan asked.

"About half an hour. Why don't we get cheese fries and pizza and sit down and eat and then we can head to the seats?"

"Yeah."

When it was time for them to head to their seats to watch warm-up, Derek was more than overwhelmed by how many people were around. Thankfully when Stiles said they were in glass seats, he hadn't told them that it was also right next to the visiting team's box. The team came out of the locker room, skating around to get warmed up before they started drills to get them fully ready for the game. Stiles came over to the glass and pressed his hands into it, and the twins jumped up and down and pressed their hands back.

"Well, they are hyper. How much sugar have you given them?"

"None. All water and food. This is just them being happy at being here."

"I see. Well. Have fun." Stiles grinned and put his helmet back onto his head before lining up for shooting drills.

Derek didn't even look down at the other end of the ice to watch the Rangers warm-up; he tracked Stiles all through him warming up and even when he started to banter with one of the rangers after a stray puck had ended up hitting him in the back of the leg. Derek could just make it all out. Then it was time for them to leave the ice. The pucks were all being shot over to where the net was, but one of Stiles' team members shot two over to him. Stiles grinned and waved at him before heading over to where the twins were. Derek stood up and waited for Stiles to hold up the pucks. Derek grabbed Tatiana so she could be raised up to grab the puck from Stiles before doing the same with Tristan.

"After the game, a few of us can sign them. I'll get little cases as well. You two had better be my good luck charms tonight."

"We won't let you down," Tatiana said in her no-nonsense tone that Derek knew was from him.

"Good, but remember that this is meant to be fun, so scream and laugh and just have fun, got it?"

The twins nodded, and Derek looked up at Stiles to see that Stiles was looking at him. He was smiling, and Derek smiled back at him.

Derek wasn't sure that he ever wanted to see Stiles play a game in person again after he had front row seats to him getting checked more than what he thought a human could take. Stiles kept on getting up again and giving back as much as he took. Derek knew how fragile humans were. He knew what their bodies could take.

The vibration of his phone gave Derek a reason to look down. He saw that it was from Peter.

 _You could look less like you are going to throw up the next time that he gets checked._ The text read. Derek frowned and looked at the jumbotron above them, but it wasn't showing him. He knew that he and the kids were being focused on a lot when Vegas scored and other moments like that. He just hadn't realized that he would have the camera on him when he looked like he was going to throw up.

_You try and watch him get tossed around like Betas during training._

_I have been to many of his games, Derek. With his father, who isn't nearly as worried as you are._

Derek growled a little at that. He closed the texting app and looked out onto the ice again. Stiles wasn't on there anymore; his shift had ended. He was sitting where Derek could see him, leaning back where most of the rest of the team was staying forward. Stiles didn't have his helmet on anymore. He was distracted from looking when his phone vibrated again. He sighed and looked at it.

_The team is staying in New York until tomorrow evening, and then they will be flying to their next stop. Maybe a lunch date?_

Derek wasn't going to respond to that either, but he was more than willing to go on a lunch date with Stiles and the twins.

* * *

"Look who it is!" Stiles said as he entered the lobby for the hotel that Derek and the kids were staying in.

"STILES!" Tristan yelled.

Tatiana was quicker and rushed at Stiles, letting him pick her up and hug her. Tristan was there right when Stiles was done, smiling at him.

"How are you feeling?" Derek asked as he walked over to give Stiles a hug. He wiggled his hand under Stiles' shirt a little and started to draw away the pain, but there was none.

"I'm good. I felt that, by the way. You and Peter do the same thing. So one of the guys from the Rangers told me of this awesome place, and I got us a reservation. They do a tea setting, so I thought that it could be fun. There is food as well, and they don't care how long we stay and talk or drink."

"That sounds awesome," Derek said before the kids could give their thoughts on it.

"It's in walking distance from here, so I thought that I would take Tatiana and put her on my shoulders, and you could do the same with Tristan, and we could head over."

"Great!" Tristan said as he turned and held out his arms to be picked up.

"Sure." Derek got Tatiana settled on Stiles' shoulders first with a word about not twisting around a lot. Then he picked up Tristan and put him on his shoulders. The streets were busy as New York streets always were around this area. They could make good time through the crowd since most people dodged them, and Derek didn't have to worry about the kids.

The restaurant looked fancy on the outside, but there were even more dressed down than they were inside. They were taken to a raised area, but it was not too much raised, just enough that it would keep most people away from them. Derek was happy about that. He sat where he could see anyone who came close to them.

"Daddy, is this a date?" Tristan asked after the waitress had left with their tea and appetizer order.

"They like the hard questions, huh?" Stiles asked.

"They really do. Sweetie, that's something that Stiles and I would discuss, alone, not with you two pipsqueaks listening in."

"Or we could just say yes and stop beating around the bush," Stiles said.

Derek looked at Stiles to see that his eyes were guarded, much like they had been back in December.

"Or there is that."

"Yes," Tristan hissed, and he wiggled in the chair like he was dancing. Tatiana was beaming, and she smiled at Stiles.

"Though that means that sometimes we will go on dates that are just your Dad and me," Stiles said.

"That's fine. Uncle Peter said that he would watch us...just better than he did Chewie."

Stiles snorted at Tatiana's words.

"Well, Uncle Peter does better with people than he does with animals when it comes to being around his two husbands. Though I don't know if you guys know this but he did lose me once too. He was scared of telling Dad. I was thirteen, and I had looked at something and thought that Peter had heard me. He looked two seconds from crying when I came back to him in the mall. We were in DC on a trip for school; well, we said it was a school trip as I wanted to see a museum there over the weekend. We actually went to a hockey game. It was kind of ruined when we were caught on the camera when Dad watched the game while at the station that night. I am not sure if Peter really felt that upset about it. I did do the paper on what I went to look at, but the game was the best part."

"He did that kind of thing with all of us growing up. He does things like that with the twins as well. Never out of our state, thankfully."

"I was still underaged and in college at that point. It was a lot of fun for me. I lost my voice screaming at the game. It was fun."

"Did you always want to play hockey?" Tristan asked.

"No, I wanted to go to the FBI or at least work with Dad until mom died. After that, I pushed myself into hockey, and things just kind of changed. I was happy with hockey, and I enjoyed it, and one of my coaches told me that I could go pro if I put my mind to it. So that's what I did. What about you, Derek?"

"I've loved writing since I was younger. I never put my mind to it, but Paige pushed me to submit a book I had written for NaNoWriMo, and it was picked up during college. Everything kind of went from there, and by the time I graduated, I had seven books picked up that the company was going to publish. I was already getting a degree in writing, so it changed slightly as I put myself toward that. I like writing, and with the kids, I can get a lot done during the day. Peter does well with my money."

"He does well with everyone's money."

The conversation turned to other things as they sat there and ate and drank tea. They did stay for three hours before Stiles proclaimed he couldn't eat anymore and was floating because he had drunk so much tea. Derek laughed as Stiles patted his belly.

"If you guys want, you can come back to the hotel I'm staying at. Meet a few guys and then hang until I have to leave."

"Sure," Derek said.

Stiles picked up Tatiana and put her on his shoulders again when they got outside, and Derek carried Tristan like a monkey until he decided he wanted to be like Tatiana. Stiles' hotel was close to the restaurant, just in a different direction than Derek and the kids'. The walk was nice after eating so much.

"Oh my God," Tatiana whispered as the doors opened on Stiles' floor, and there were three of the players right there. They turned and looked at her before smiling and waving.

"My roommate's out for the day; he's visiting some family who lives here. So we have my room to ourselves," Stiles said.

"Good."

"Hey, we have Minecraft going two rooms down," one of the guys said.

"That sounds awesome, but I've got guests," Stiles said.

"We were talking for the squirts," the guy said.

"Can we?" Tatiana asked.

Derek looked at Stiles, who nodded his head that it was safe without Derek having to ask. "Sure. They are only allowed a half an hour of playing."

"Cool." The guy put out his hand, and he escorted Tatiana down there while the other two walked on either side of Tristan.

"They're gonna be okay with two hyper kids?"

"I think that it's good for them. They are the ones who have families back in Vegas. Also, they are the ones who keep on pushing me to ask you out. So I figure this is some adult time for us. Not that I want to have like R-rated adult time but talking would be good. Talking, yes."

Even without his nose, Derek could smell how nervous Stiles was.

"That's good. Talking is good," Derek said. He waved for Stiles to lead the way.

Stiles swiped the card that let him into the room, and both of the beds were piled with bags. "I packed early since I was heading to meet you guys, and I wasn't sure what we were going to do afterward. So it was better to be all packed up before we headed out."

"Sounds like it was a smart plan."

"I'm not going to be home for a while, and even then, I'll be busy with other things as they come up as part of my contract. I have a few interviews and photoshoots for various things that I have signed on to do."

"Stiles, I know what it's going to be like. I have more than enough family to watch the twins, and I can head out to see you randomly when you are close to home. They won't be too upset as long as you talk to them at some points."

Stiles laughed before he nodded his head. He looked around the room. There was a sitting area with a couch, so Derek waved his hand toward it. Derek followed him over and sat closer to Stiles than he ever had before.

"So dating," Stiles said.

"Yes. Long-distance, but I think that we can make it work."

"Dude, I just figured you were entertaining me because of the twins."

"No, I would have not really talked much except in person. You don't have a lot of self-esteem when it comes to personal things, do you?"

"That's something that Chris and Peter get onto me for a lot, so no, I don't. I'm working on it. The team is working on it. My last attempt at a relationship really messed me up. That was in college, and just after I had turned eighteen. I kind of swore off relationships after that. I do want to try this, though, I promise that, Derek."

"Good. I want to try as well. I've liked chatting with you over text the last while. We can upgrade to calls for a while, and if things don't go the way we think, friends."

"Sure, friends."

Derek narrowed his eyes a little, but there was no scoffing or derision in the tone. Stiles meant it. He wanted to at least be friends with Derek.

"I don't want your family ambushing me, though. I mean it. When I get home after the Playoff run, I like to just...exist. I usually don't leave my place for like a week and a half. I don't mind visitors, meaning you and the kids but other than that. Nope. Peter crashes when he wants."

"Do you have a residence in Vegas?" Derek asked.

"Yes. Why?"

"Well, the kids wanted to go there for a trip at some point. We make several trips a year. I wanted to do summer so we could have a lot of fun outside, but they want a hockey game. So I thought that maybe we could stay at yours for a game before the end of the run if you can help me buy tickets."

"Buy? Dude, I have tickets I can get for you. We get perks, you know, and I only use them on Dad and Peter. It's not me trying to buy you guys. I literally have tickets that I can get for you. Just let me know when."

"When are you home for a weekend game?" Derek asked.

Stiles pulled out his phone and started to search. They talked for a few minutes while he gave the list and Derek checked the twins' schedule. They found a pretty close date to the playoffs, so it would be full of energy.

"No presents for the twins," Derek said.

"Dude, I'm getting them each a puck. We do pucks for every game. It'll have the team we play on it as well. It'll be good to remember the game by, but I'll only get them that. I promise." Stiles was smirking as he said it.

"Somehow, I don't trust you that much," Derek said.

Stiles laughed and relaxed to where he was sitting, facing Derek with his head on the couch's back. "I like giving presents. You said nothing about you, and you can't take it back. Some of the guys get pucks for their kids, and they write the scores on them. There is one with a wall of pucks, and it's kind of awesome. I have pucks for every game I scored in. One of the girls makes sure to slip one back just to be safe. I buy them. I don't like not buying things. There are things we get for free, but even stupid pucks, I pay for. Kind of guy my dad raised me to be. They try and give me free coffee in Beacon Hills, but I pay every single time."

"I can see that with your father. So how do you feel about us crashing your place for a weekend? I can get them off of school on Friday easily. We have a few days that we can pull them for trips and the like, but I don't like to do it all that much. I can do that so we can get into Vegas on Friday. It's a seven-hour drive, depending on how much we stop for bathroom breaks. The kids do okay with sandwiches to eat on the trip, so we shouldn't' have to stop for lunch."

"Peter has keys to the place; he can make you copies. I'll let you know the security alarm code. It's not hard to remember, but I change it monthly, so it'll be a new one then. Well, I change it the first day back after a road trip when the month ticks over."

"You smell nervous," Derek said.

"Yeah."

"We don't have to stay there. I can get a hotel."

"NO!" Stiles looked at Derek, sitting up as he did. "It's not that. I'm nervous about wanting to kiss you."

"Oh, I see. Well, I can come to you, or you can come to me." Derek leaned forward and kept on going when Stiles started to blush. Derek had never wanted the first kiss as much as he did this one. He cupped the side of Stiles' face to hold him still. He had seen Stiles during interviews when he wasn't fully paying attention to what he was doing. He was a disaster when his mind was going in a million different ways. Stiles leaned forward, pressing his lips to Derek's in a very chaste kiss. It really wasn't what Derek was looking for. He wanted to know what Stiles tasted like. He wanted to have the sounds he made while they were kissing to hold him over. He wanted everything and anything that he could get from Stiles.

"More?" Stiles asked when Derek pulled back.

"Yes." Derek planted a knee between Stiles' legs. One was on foot pressed to the floor while the other was bent on the couch, thigh pressed to the back of it. Derek wanted to lean in and devour him, but Stiles still smelled nervous. A slow build-up was best, Derek thought as he pressed his lips to Stiles' again.

There was nothing hesitant after Derek asked for permission with his tongue. Stiles kissed like he wanted nothing more. The scent of nerves went away, and there was a subtle scent that wasn't full arousal but just Stiles wanting more.

Derek knew they should talk, but this was something that he wanted. Intimacy without sex. Stiles didn't seem to be all that worried about going too far, so Derek didn't either. He touched, gentle, and then Stiles didn't stop him or pull away, with more pressure. Stiles reciprocated. He wasn't sure how long they sat there and made out, but Derek was all for it. He only stopped when they started to go a little further than he was willing to go on the couch in a hotel with a guy he had only been on one date with. He considered the tea outing a date, even if the kids were there.

"Yeah, we are going to have fun," Stiles said.

Derek laughed and nuzzled at the side of Stiles' face.

"How are you feeling?" Derek asked.

"Good. Not nervous anymore, but I am sure you can smell that. We made out longer than half an hour. I got a text that says the kids are fine but watching the guys play more than anything else. They didn't fight with the stopping either."

"How fast do you read?" Derek asked. Stiles had barely looked at his phone.

"Pretty quickly. So are you wanting to go join them or have one of the guys bring the kids to us?"

Derek reached out and touched Stiles' lips with his thumb. "Your lips are swollen. So I'll let you make that decision. Either is fine with me."

"Eh, I'll be getting shit from them for all the calls I'll be placing to you, so I might as well get it over with."

"No one has any issues with you dating a guy, right?"

"Nope. Those who might have were told to keep their mouth shut, or there will be a moratorium on talking about all significant others when the team is hanging out. They really don't want that, so they have to live with me talking about my boyfriend."

Derek nodded his head. Stiles could make things hard for anyone who didn't want to play ball by allowing him to talk about his boyfriend. Derek knew that he was the face of LGBTQ+ for the NHL. It would take just one comment, so Derek figured that everyone was going to be keeping things on the down-low if they didn't like that he had a boyfriend.

"Hey," Dere said. He held out a hand, and when Stiles put hi shand in his, he tugged him back.

"What?" Stiles asked as he snuggled into Derek's side.

"You have Instagram, right?"

"Yes," Stiles said.

'Good. Let's take a picture and post it together. I have one, and I use it mostly to post up images of my writing space, but since I've come out of hiding my name closet, I've posted a few things with my face in it. We can...be official at the start on both sides. No one can say we were trying to hide it."

"You know that I have a lot of followers, right? I post a lot of stuff, and it gets shared by the Knights PR team a lot on other social media. I am not saying I don't want to, but you will get a lot of people."

"That's fine. It'll be fine," Derek said. He really hoped that it would be. He already got a lot of shit since he had been more open about who he was. He wrote about all walks of relationships from hetero to gay and even a few triads. He was going to get more idiots, but he was pretty good about blocking people like that. It would be easier to just start that all out right away. He had a PR person from the publishing company who was on tap to help him handle things as well. It wasn't like he was massively big.

"Okay. Let's take a few, and then we can pick or post a different tone to each account and tag the other. You follow me, right?"

"Yes, and I know that you follow me as well. Don't worry, I only laugh a little when your team tags you in the stupid stuff that you do."

Stiles shoved at Derek, but he smiled when he did it.

Derek pulled him around to where he was lying on Derek's chest as both kind of fell on the couch cushions. He held up his phone to take the selfie and smiled as Stiles made a duck face. Derek punched him with his free hand, and Stiles laughed, grabbing Derek's' hand and pulling it over his chest. Derek snapped the picture. He used his arm to pull Stiles up the couch more before he took another. He looked down at Stiles to see him looking at him as well, and Derek hoped the camera stayed where it was and took another picture. He let his arm fall down and brought up his captures with a swipe of his finger. 

"What do you think?" Derek asked as he brought up the first. He slowly flipped through all three of him. 

"I like the last one best and then the first."

"I like the first and then the last. So I'll post the first, and you can post the third."

"Sure. Text it to me." Stiles moved to where he was cuddled into Derek's side and started to type on his phone. 

Derek texted the picture to Stiles and then started to prepare his post. He wasn't going to post it until Stiles had his ready, and they compared. 

It was just two simple posts, no weird wording or anything, just happiness. 

"Like it?" Stiles asked.

"Yes. So we can post at the same time?" Derek asked.

Stiles nodded his head and turned back to his phone.

"Go." Derek hit the post button and watched as his phone processed. Then it was live. Derek grabbed the link and shared it with his agent. She wasn't going to be shocked since he had told her that he was aiming to start dating Stiles soon. 

"Well, there it is," Stiles said just as his phone beeped. 

Derek looked to see what he pulled up. It was a comment on the picture, and it was someone who was screaming in joy that Stiles finally had someone, especially someone who was hot. Derek laughed at that and then looked at his phone when it sounded off. He opened it and laughed. 

"Well, my family has been heard from. It seems that Peter's overjoyed," Derek said. He tipped his phone toward Stiles. It was a text as Peter didn't mind looking at stuff on Instagram, but he didn't comment all that much. A few more texts came through from the rest of the family, including a lovely text from his mother. He knew that she was trying. She was trying to be better. Especially when it came to Peter's family. 

"Peter's probably going to throw a party when you get back," Stiles said. He curled in a little, laying his head on Derek's shoulder. 

"I wouldn't be shocked."

"DADDY!" Tristan yelled through the door. There was the sound of a beep, and then both kids were running in. They jumped on Stiles and Derek, cuddling in. "YOU ARE DATING STILES!" 

"I am," Derek said. He wrapped an arm around his son so that he didn't fall off. Tatiana was on Stiles, grinned. "I assume you guys like that?" 

"Yes," Tatiana said. 

"Way to go, dude," one of Stiles' teammates said before the door was shut.

"Who was that for?" Derek asked.

"Who knows. Probably both. Anyway, we are dating, and we've already figured out when you guys can come to visit me again. It'll be in Vegas; you guys are happy about that, right?"

"Are we going to stay with you?" Tatiana asked. 

"Yes. We aren't there long, but you guys can stay there even after I leave. Or come out at any point that you want. Peter has the key. You might even be able to get him to bring you out without your father." 

The kids giggled and settled down a little. The couch was, thankfully, just big enough for them. Derek thought about his couch back home and knew that he would have to get a bigger one, not just for him and Stiles but for the kids as well. Derek barely fit with them now. It was going to need a lot more room for them. He would enjoy the hell out of it, though. 

"Daddy, we are keeping him, right?" Tatiana asked.

"Yes, we are."

Stiles leaned into Derek a little more, and he smelled happy and content. 

The road forward would be a little bumpy with them being in the spotlight, but they could do it. Derek was more than willing to show the world that he wasn't afraid of being in the spotlight. It was time to shine. 

# The End

**Author's Note:**

> I write fanfiction for fun. It's a hobby and a stress relief. I refuse to stress over my writing. What you see is what you get. Errors, plot holes, and all. Thank you for reading my story! 
> 
> I can be found on MeWe [here](https://mewe.com/i/beccaqueen1), join me there and we can discuss my fics and whatnot.


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